


(Flower) Talk Dirty To Me

by EzraTheBlue



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Anal Plug, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Fluff and Smut, Language of Flowers, M/M, Misunderstandings, Not So Secret Admirer, Secret Admirer, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:13:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22705264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EzraTheBlue/pseuds/EzraTheBlue
Summary: Ignis has a secret admirer sending him flowers, all arrangements that seem to be sending hidden messages.That message seems to be "wanna get busy?"
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 11
Kudos: 113





	(Flower) Talk Dirty To Me

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day! 
> 
> Special thanks to [ignisgayentia](ignisgayentia) for giving this a read for me! Any remaining errors are mine!

**(Flower) Talk Dirty To Me**

Ever since Prompto had begun training for the Crownsguard, Ignis found a certain joy in seeing more of him. He’d always enjoyed his company when he was visiting with Noctis, but seeing him in the lower levels of the Citadel wearing trainee’s fatigues, grinning and glowing with sweat as he waved to Ignis across the quad, or popping by his office during his lunch break for a friendly chat and a little company made his heart feel warm and full. He had even taken to the habit of packing lunches for himself, Noctis, and Prompto in the mornings, so when Noctis inevitably came to make sure the other Guard trainees weren’t giving Prompto a hard time, the three of them could enjoy a pleasant, healthy lunch together. Ignis never hesitated to welcome his friends into his private office.

Ignis’ office was a cozy little space, with overstuffed leather chairs and a decently sized desk with a fancy dock for his laptop, lined with bookshelves full of books. It felt more like home than his apartment sometimes. Ignis had been granted this office as a present when Noctis came of age, making his position as Noctis’ chamberlain official, and Ignis had made it a place for him both to think in quietude - and he did do his best thinking in this room - and to host meetings, formal and informal. Despite the whole place having an aged air of class and decorum, Ignis liked nothing better than sweaty, improper men sprawled in it with him. Prompto would often drop by after training, or Ignis would go to visit him and Gladio down in the training hall, ostensibly to check in on how Gladio’s training session with Noctis had gone, but certainly to see Prompto’s cheerful smile. It had become part of his routine, as welcome as flowers in spring. 

Then came one winter afternoon when their routine was unexpectedly interrupted. Prompto was sprawled in one of Ignis’ office chairs, as Ignis was in the middle of a story about an argument he had with a council member, when there was a knock on the door. Prompto gasped and sat tight as Ignis rose. "Apologies, I wasn't expecting anyone else." He opened the door to see one of the porters waiting, carrying a small, round bouquet of white and purple flowers. 

"Delivery for you, Mr. Scientia." The porter grinned. "New beau?"

"I'm afraid not." Ignis took the bouquet with a furrowed brow, glanced back at Prompto, then returned his attention to the porter. "No note?"

"No, sir. We checked it over for security purposes, but it just seems like whoever sent it wanted to go anonymous.” The porter's grin tilted to lascivious. "Looks like you have a secret admirer!"

"Goodness, I wouldn't know. Thank you." He passed a Crown to the porter and quickly shut the door, his face already taking heat as he studied the bouquet. 

It was just his taste: a precious little nosegay, tied carefully in purple ribbon, composed of stark white tulips and purple lilacs, with pops of white violet. His heart felt light, and he brought the blossoms to his nose. Incredibly sweet. Prompto was watching, grinning wide and eager. “Ooh, look at you! Do you get flowers often?”

“I don’t, no.” Ignis found a vase on one of his bookshelves, emptied it of pencils and dusted it off with his hand, then set it on his desk and carefully set the flowers in it. He’d get some water for them later. “I don’t think I’ve received flowers from anyone other than my uncle. He occasionally sends flowers after I’ve made some achievement, but he signs a card.” Ignis turned the flowers again, admiring them a moment longer, then returned to his bookshelf. “I do wonder, however.”

“Oh?” Prompto twisted in the chair as Ignis browsed the books on his wall, brow furrowed, then selected a slim tome and opened it. 

“My uncle will often hide some sort of message in his bouquets. Not merely a note; the flowers themselves have meanings. It’s actually a popular way of sending coded communications, even little simple things. I know Gladiolus will sometimes send rejections to women in flowers.” He laughed through his nose as he flipped through the little book. “They think he’s being sweet until someone corrects them.” 

Prompto laughed. “That sounds like him, at least with girls!” He sat up and followed Ignis around the room as Ignis leafed through the pages, then landed on one.

“Here we are. White tulips - ‘I am worthy of your love.’ Oh.” Ignis felt a tiny spark in his heart, and flipped a page. “Purple lilacs, first love, and white violets, ‘take a chance on me.’ Oh my.” He found heat in his cheeks. “It seems my admirer is fervent.”

“Wow!” Prompto clapped his hands together. “Oh man, you’re all red!” Ignis felt the heat in his cheeks, and cleared his throat and rubbed his cheeks to try to cool himself off. 

“Goodness. It’s somewhat, er, flustering, to think someone might have put that much thought into me.” He dusted his cheeks and put on a smile for Prompto. “It might be nothing, just someone being considerate. After all, it’s no great secret that purple is my favorite color.” 

“Well, what do you think it means?” Prompto leaned forward with obvious interest, and Ignis hummed.

“I believe it means… I have a secret admirer.” Ignis chuckled. “It’s cute.” He sat back down at his desk, as Prompto slouched in his chair. “I’ll have to see what turns up next, if they should _deliver_ again.”

“Yeah, guess so.” Prompto shrugged, still grinning, and Ignis returned to his story.

The flowers were not forgotten, nor did Ignis completely ignore a niggling sense that Prompto was displeased with them.

* * *

The first flowers were still fresh on Ignis’ desk when the second set arrived. Gladio, Noctis, and Prompto were all visiting his office, Prompto and Gladio reviewing one of the Crownsguard booklets together and Noctis trying to rearrange his schedule with Ignis. Ignis was thick in thought over how best to organize a few diplomatic meetings and who they could risk offending most when a knock came at the door again. Gladio and Prompto broke away from a conversation about how to keep one’s wits about them when stressed (and Prompto was complaining about not being able to focus on a singular thing to meditate the way Gladio was suggesting), and Noctis twisted around to watch Ignis open the door. A different porter, a cheerful young woman, held a bright red and yellow bouquet a little larger than the bouquet on the desk, this one in a red glass vase. “Special delivery, Mr. Scientia!” 

“Well, well, well,” Gladio cackled, snapping the tactics book shut as Ignis carefully accepted the bouquet. “More flowers?” 

“So it is.” Ignis was already blushing again. “I dare say, someone is sowing their seed thick around here!” He turned the vase around, grateful he wouldn’t have to scramble to find another in a rush, and set it on the opposite corner of his desk, then poured some water from a pitcher into it. “I do hope their finances are so lush to be able to afford to have flowers delivered.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that!” Prompto laughed, flushing a little under his freckles, and he hopped up to take a closer look. “Those are gorgeous! Do these have some meaning, too? Like the last ones?”

Ignis smirked and took up the floriography book from his shelf. “I see I’ve nurtured a curiosity about flower language in you.”

Gladio scoffed and kicked his feet out. “You’ll sow the seeds of discord if you keep making flower puns.”

“Apologies; I’ll quit beating around the bush.” Ignis winked at Prompto, and Noctis groaned as Prompto giggled. Ignis rifled quickly through the book. “Let’s see. More white tulips, but red, too. Red tulips are a plain declaration of love. A bold choice! The yellow irises-”

“Passion.” Gladio snorted. “Dad told me I could get Iris her namesake in basically any color but yellow.”

“Passion,” Ignis repeated, as Noctis stifled a snicker. “And the rhododendron…” He ran his fingers up the stalk, the burgeoning blossoms so delicate under his fingertips, still thumbing through the book with his open hand. “Oh - danger? Perhaps, ‘I am dangerous?’” He laughed and clapped the book shut. “My admirer’s gotten more explicit with their intentions! Passion? And _danger_? Goodness, he may as well growl at me.” Ignis imitated a coeurl’s growl and swiped at the air, and Gladio let out a rolling laugh as Prompto’s cheeks went crimson.

“Wow, you think it’s that serious?” Prompto rubbed the back of his head, and Ignis nearly missed Noctis rubbing his shoulder.

“It’s awfully bold!” Ignis beamed and put his book back on the shelf. “I do at least hope my secret admirer is a man! I’d hate to let a young lady down on account of my personal preferences when she’s put so much effort in - though I admit, I wonder if only a man could be this daring with his choices.”

“Yeah, he’s being awfully forward, huh,” Prompto said quietly, chuckling a little, and Ignis found himself frowning - Prompto didn’t sound quite as amused as he had a moment ago. He scooped up his tactics book. “Hey, I better go. Enjoy the flowers, Iggy!” 

Ignis couldn’t quite name the little pang that struck in his heart as Prompto fled, and frowned to himself. “Gladio, has Prompto been his usual self lately?”

Gladio snorted. “Mostly. No weirder than usual, really.”

“I see.” He frowned to himself, as behind him, Noctis groaned and put his hand over his face. 

“Specs… No, forget it. Prompto’s always been this weird.” He sat up and unlocked his phone again, pretending to open his schedule though Ignis could see he had a game open instead. “Let’s just try to get my schedule sorted and we’ll figure out who I can get away with not talking to.”

“Noct.” Ignis put a chide in his voice, and an unchastened Noctis continued to play his game as Ignis redirected them to what they were supposed to be doing. 

Ignis continued to enjoy the sight of the blooms in his office for the rest of the day, but he couldn’t help but feel like the mood had been dampened despite their brightness when Prompto’s smile had faded.

* * *

Prompto hadn’t visited Ignis the next afternoon, and when Ignis tried to flag him down as he crossed between buildings on the Citadel grounds, Prompto appeared to duck out of view behind a few of the other recruits. He returned to his, mulling over that odd avoidance, before settling into his chair and calling Noctis. The phone nearly went to messages, but Noctis picked up right as the voicemail recording began to play. _“Something wrong, Specs?”_ He sounded groggy, and Ignis couldn’t help but snort.

“Did I wake you, Highness?”

_“Yeah, like, it’s only noon.”_ He heaved a long-suffering sigh and Ignis rolled his eyes as hard as he could. _“What’s up?”_

“It’s no grand emergency, but since you’re awake as it is…” Ignis waited for Noctis to get his groan out of the way, before going on, “I was rather concerned about Prompto. He’s been acting a bit odd.”

There was a conspicuous pause. _“Yeah? How do you mean, odd?”_

“It’s hard to specify. Erm. He seems to be more reserved than he usually would be. He seems to be avoiding eye contact with me at key moments.” Ignis chewed his bottom lip for a moment. “Did I say something, perhaps?”

Noctis didn’t respond for a moment, but Ignis thought he could faintly hear the phone rustling, then a sigh off the receiver. _“Prompto… he’s just being Prompto. He’s not being any more weird than usual.”_

Ignis furrowed his brow; that wasn’t really an answer to his question, was it? “So, is something wrong?”

_“Look, I’m not going to lie to you, but I’m not going to speak for him. I’m glad you’re concerned, since for some reason he seems to take a lot of stock in your opinion and consistently fails at giving enough of a damn about himself, but if you wanna know what his deal is, I suggest you talk to him.”_

Ignis frowned, but he had to concede: “Right you are. I appreciate the correction. I’ll speak with him.”

Noctis was curiously quiet for another long moment, which was punctuated with a long yawn. _“Okay. Good. Glad we got that cleared up.”_

“Now go shower and put your training clothes on before Gladio breaks down your door and drags you out of bed.” Ignis hung up while Noctis was still mid-groan, and promptly (ha!) sent Prompto a text: 

_“I’m ordering from the curry takeaway for lunch today. Would you care for your favorite green curry?”_

The response was fast: _“ur the best!! Yes plz.”_ Then there was a long string of thumbs-up, smiley face, chili pepper, and chocobo emojis. That was more like it! Ignis smiled right back, as if Prompto could see it, then began to place his order. 

Prompto arrived in from training toweling the back of his neck with a shammy, which he dumped into his backpack before he sat down in his usual overstuffed armchair with a contented little sigh. Ignis was pleased when Prompto met his eyes, feeling a touch of relief that made his heart light. Prompto never failed to make his heart feel like it had been tied to a helium balloon, soaring into the stars. 

“Sorry if I’m sweaty!” Prompto grinned sheepishly, cheeks still aglow. “We were doing sprints.” 

“I see. Consider yourself excused.” Ignis poured Prompto a glass of purified water from the pitcher he’d come to keep on his desk to keep his vases filled. “Here, rehydrate while we wait for our food.”

“Thanks, Iggy.” Prompto beamed like sunshine, and Ignis resisted the urge to muse aloud if that smile would help his flowers photosynthesize, but as Prompto drained the glass, there was a knock at the office door. Ignis hopped up to answer, pen in hand to sign for the delivery, but instead there was another porter with a different kind of parcel:

“Flowers again, Mr. Scientia!” There was another porter, holding a stout but full bouquet of green, white, and pink blooms in a wide glass vase. Ignis was nearly taken aback, stunned at the thought:

“My secret admirer again!” Prompto was watching, rapt, behind him, as Ignis carefully accepted the bouquet. “My thanks, sir. I’m expecting another delivery soon, so…”

“We’ll send them forward. Any progress working out who’s sending these?” The porter wagged an eyebrow. Ignis snorted.

“Not in the slightest. If you’ll excuse me.” He shut the door with his hip, holding the flowers reverently in both hands. Prompto gaped at the bouquet.

“That one’s really pretty.”

“It is,” Ignis agreed, turning the vase as he set it down beside the other two. “More delicate, too. Heartfelt.” He studied the flowers, but just as he went to take up his floriography book, Prompto had already jumped from his chair to grab it. “Thank you.” Ignis nodded and accepted the book, flipping pages quickly. “Green roses. Jonquil. And pink camellia.” He hummed as he flipped from page to page. “Jonquil - passion again. Still that daring touch. And pink camellia for longing.” Ignis felt a pang of sympathy. “And the green roses… a symbol of homosexual love. A famous author from the fourth century used to wear green roses to signal his sympathizers and allies of his identity. If you saw a man wearing a green rose, he surely preferred his own gender to the opposite.” Ignis bit his lip when he realized that the bouquet wasn’t held in place with a ribbon. “And wrapped in vine - for intoxication? Oh.” He felt a touch hot under the collar - his secret admirer was somehow more daring even with the more delicate blossoms. “I must wonder what sort of person my admirer is.”

Prompto hummed curiously, sitting forward in his chair as Ignis gently adjusted the flowers in their vase. “Do you think he might be the sort of person you’d like?”

“Hmm.” Ignis considered it himself. “I suppose, first and foremost, I wish they’d be clearer in their intentions.” 

Prompto hummed, expression tense and difficult, but before the conversation could go any further, there was another knock on the door as their lunch arrived. 

The flowers didn’t come up again, though Ignis continued to wonder and Prompto remained po-faced and subdued. 

Ignis couldn’t even think about the flowers when he was caught up worrying over Prompto’s vanishing smile. 

* * *

“I just can’t focus on one thing in my head like that.” Prompto sighed and slouched in his chair. “I mean, I guess I can, but I guess it’s gonna be something upsetting me, not, like, something that’s gonna calm my mind and make me focus.” Ignis peered up from the documents he was reviewing with Noctis, and Prompto obviously noticed and sat upright, turning his face away. Gladio, sitting near Prompto, just snorted.

“It doesn’t have to just be in your mind. Sometimes, I’ll grab a rock and squeeze it in my hand, and focus on just the neutral sensation of holding the rock. Some guys have necklaces with beads they count, or good luck charms. I advise everyone to have something they can center on so they can calm themselves down in the field, and sometimes, your mind does just get busy.” Gladio tapped the center of Prompto’s forehead, grinning crookedly. “I know how distractible your mind is.” 

Prompto groaned and pushed Gladio’s hand off. “I can focus on something when I want to! When I’m a man on a mission, I’m like a bullet, you can’t stop me!”

“Unless someone throws a wall up.” Gladio mussed Prompto’s hair, and Prompto grunted with disgust and shoved his hand off. “Now, come on. You got more important things to worry about than meditation, right?”

“Specs, you’re staring,” Noctis murmured from behind the papers he was pretending to read, and Ignis snapped back to pretending to pay attention to his work himself.

He still hadn’t entirely worked out what was bothering Prompto, and he couldn’t help but try to seek out more pieces of the puzzle. It couldn’t possibly only be that he was having trouble focusing in training, it seemed more personal than that. Perhaps someone was being unkind to him? Ignis couldn’t fathom any reason, other than the most petty or pointless, that anyone would want to be cruel to sweet, enthusiastic Prompto. 

Of course, he had his own dilemma on his hand - namely, the source of the flowers. Never a note, but clearly always thought out, planned, and assembled with intent. They were likely arranged by a professional, but the design was the idea of someone with a goal in mind, trying to send a message.

Ignis just couldn’t wholly decipher the message outside of "I'm into you." With the first bouquet starting to wilt, he was beginning to wonder if it wasn’t an elaborate joke, something to get his hopes up just to let him crash. If that was the case, it was needlessly cruel, much like whatever was plaguing Prompto. 

“You know, Iggy,” Noctis said, needles jabbing at his name, “If you’re bored working on this, we could slack off. Someone else could read these reports. I know I’m bored, and if we’re in agreement-”

“Noctis,” Ignis sighed, as Noctis folded his copy of the report over with a catlike grin. 

“Something on your mind?” He grinned knowingly, clearly trying to prod a rise out of Ignis, and Ignis’ mouth wrenched down as his irritation rose in him. Clearly Noctis thought he knew something Ignis didn’t.

“I have been distracted of late, yes. But never you mind that.”

“Oh?” Gladio turned away from Prompto, whipping around to face Ignis, and Ignis put on a stiff upper lip as his voice took a teasing, sing-song cadence: “Thinkin’ about your secret boyfriend?”

“Secret admirer, thank you,” Ignis murmured, and glanced to the first bouquet. Prompto sat stark upright.

“Oh, have you made up your mind about him?”

“I don’t think I have, no.” Ignis turned the wilting flowers in their vase. “I suppose I’m a bit disappointed that my trail is going cold.”

“Oh.” Prompto’s brow furrowed. “Well, maybe they’ll give you another clue soon.”

Ignis smiled fondly, though Prompto wasn’t looking at him. “I should hope so, yes.”

Gladio and Noctis traded a quick look, until Noctis leaned close to Ignis. “So, you don’t know who it is?”

“I don’t.” Ignis tried not to clench his jaw.

“No clue?” Gladio raised an eyebrow, and Ignis huffed out a sharp breath.

“If you insist on making me reiterate-”

A knock came at the office door, and Ignis’ heart leapt into his throat, excitement subverting irritation in an instant, and he hurried to the door. The young lady porter was holding a basket with an artfully constructed bouquet of pinks, oranges, and crimson blooms that crawled up the handles of the basket and rose above the top. Ignis took a few Crowns from his pocket and put them in her hand as he carefully accepted the basket from the bottom. “Thank you, madam!”

“Thank your secret admirer for me, they’re all the rage at the water cooler!” The porter giggled as she transferred the weight of the basket to Ignis, and he carefully shut the door, ready to admire his gift in privacy.

Or, what privacy he could get when he had company. 

Noctis backed away from Ignis’ desk, and Gladio and Prompto stood with reverence as Ignis carried the massive arrangement in and set it on his desk. It was dense with blooms, easily as big as the second two bouquets combined. His face was warm, his cheeks surely pink, as he examined the flowers that composed the bouquet. “Cattleya orchids. Beautiful.”

“Mature love,” Gladio muttered without even cracking the floriography book. Noctis raised an eyebrow at him, and Gladio shrugged. “What? They were my last girlfriend’s favorite.”

“I find myself partial, if I’m being frank.” Ignis cupped the flower in his palm, the ruffled petals like a ballgown, elegant and soft, and he turned his attention to another familiar flower. “And roses. Such a unique color.”

“Coral,” Prompto supplied quietly, but Noctis’ voice cracked with a snicker:

“Wait, aren’t those salmon roses? Like the meme?” He posed dramatically, exhorting, “Salmon is for passion!” Prompto elbowed Noctis, and Noctis snorted and elbowed him back. “I dunno, Specs, maybe he wants to send you fishing!”

“I feel like I’m on a fishing expedition trying to find the meaning behind these messages,” Ignis laughed weakly, then turned his attention to the stems of tiny pink flowers that wove through the handles of the basket. “And these… I’m not familiar with them.” Gladio was already passing Ignis the book, and he flipped pages quickly until he found one that matched: “Dog roses.”

“Those must have been hard to find, those aren’t usually grown by florists,” Gladio remarked, scratching his head.

“Huh,” Prompto said, oddly casual. “Maybe he went out and found some and gave them to the florist himself, just so they could be part of this bouquet?” Noctis elbowed Prompto this time, though Ignis couldn’t fathom why. 

“They mean… pleasure and pain?!” Ignis’ heart jolted like lightning had speared him, and he turned to the others in bewilderment, as Gladio tried to swallow his laughter. “I don’t - whatever does this mean!?”

“Maybe your secret admirer needs someone to crack the whip on him,” Gladio snickered. “Maybe he sees how much of a hardass you are and likes it.”

Noctis covered his mouth, obviously trying to hide how much he was smiling. “I didn’t know that there were flowers that meant ‘raw me, Daddy.’” 

Prompto groaned. “You guys always gotta make things weird! Maybe it means something more like, ‘I like you so much it hurts!’ I don’t know!”

“Nor do I,” Ignis replied, and sank into his office chair, still gazing into the bouquet. No matter how he searched the elegant construction, nowhere in the radiant assembly could Ignis find a note. “And that’s just the problem. I don’t know what it means. How am I supposed to know what to do about them unless they make their intentions clear?” 

Prompto circled around to Ignis’ chair, glaring at Gladio and Noctis (who were still trying to smother their laughter and compose themselves), before patting Ignis’ back. “If you ask me, I think they’re really shy. Maybe they just want to be certain you’ll like them, and if they do ask you out, you’ll say yes.”

“I can’t say,” Ignis sighed again and shook his head, sinking forward and putting his chin in his palms. “If I knew anything more about them than their eloquence with flowers - such as, perhaps, their intentions, what they really want from me - I could decide.”

“Yeah?” Prompto patted his back again, voice soft as his palm smoothed down his shoulder blade. “I hope they get brave enough to tell you soon.”

Ignis truly, truly hoped so, as well. He was tired of questions he couldn’t answer and problems he couldn’t solve.

* * *

The fifth bouquet was not delivered.

Instead, Ignis walked into his office one afternoon with Noctis and Prompto at his side, Gladio a step behind, Noctis and Gladio loudly recounting their training session to one another, and Prompto uncharacteristically quiet. Ignis took advantage of Noctis and Gladio’s distraction to ask: “You’re tense.”

“Huh?” 

“You seem worried about something.” Ignis studied Prompto carefully, as he too-obviously tried to duck down and away, like a dog avoiding a handful of medicine. “You can talk to me about anything, you know. Is it about training? Is someone being unkind to you?”

“N-no, it’s… it’s nothing like that.” Prompto turned his face, smiling sheepishly, though his brow was knit up. “Don’t worry, yeah?” He stopped at Ignis’ office door and held it open. “Age before royalty?”

“Not quite how the saying goes, but-” Ignis forgot whatever joke he was about to make (perhaps a pun about duty and beauty) when he saw what was waiting on his desk.

An enormous glass vase, full to bursting with calla lilies in varying shades of pink that turned into deep, dark little holes at their centers, waited in the very middle of Ignis’ desk, the tight curls of the blossoms nearly at Ignis’ eye level. Ignis’ jaw dropped, as Noctis and Gladio stopped right next to him, each of them gaping and gawking. Ignis stumbled over words for a moment, until he noticed that there was a tiny white piece of paper tucked against the stems.

“A-ha!” He stalked forward and grabbed the note, only to find a photograph: 

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/185425540@N02/49532113678/in/dateposted-public/)

Two unusually shaped orchids that very much looked like two naked people with dangling phalli, labelled “Me” and “You” in black marker.

Ignis’ jaw dropped. He then looked again at the calla lilies, deep pinks and reds, deep channels of long stamen. Behind him, Noctis choked back a noise that might have been a cough or a laugh.

“Is it me, or do those flowers kind of look like-”

Gladio covered Noctis’ mouth. “Dude, shut up.” His voice was tight and choked, like his own throat was trying to close up to dam back laughter. Prompto was silent between the pair of them, his eyes wide and his mouth set in a deliberately flat line, but Ignis could practically see a battle in his eyes, despair and hope exchanging volleys, clearly as dumbstruck and desperate for answers as Ignis himself, as he fought with the whirlwind of thought rising through him.

There were no bones (ha!) about what this bouquet meant. 

But even then, Ignis could not answer the question obviously being posed by this missive. 

Finally, Ignis inadvertently, thoughtlessly found his answer - laughter. Laughter spilled from him, aching in his lungs and belly, as he came utterly undone at the utter ludicrousness of it all. He pounded a palm on the desk and rattled every vase, doubling over as he was seized by the futile humor. “How-” He choked out around his laughter. “How am I even meant to respond to this?! How ridiculous can a person be?!”

Another laugh joined his - Prompto’s. But it was wrong. Sharp and jagged, pained. 

Ignis looked up to see Prompto covering his mouth to smother the noise, but his face was bright red. His eyes were too. Noctis and Gladio were no longer laughing, and Ignis felt his amusement die as Prompto stepped forward. He grabbed a pen and scrap of paper off of Ignis’ desk, scrawled a message, and gently pushed it between two of the stems. Then, he about-faced and walked out, face falling and shoulders sinking, like he was withering away as he retreated. Ignis clenched his jaw tight to keep it from tumbling open again, and took the note Prompto had left:

_“Sorry for bothering you.”_

Ignis stared at the note, chest aching, then, almost unnecessarily, held the note up against the photograph of the naked man orchids. The word _‘you’_ matched perfectly.

“Alright.” He sighed, and looked up to Noctis and Gladio, who were shell-shocked (the former) and stoic (the latter). “Which of you two put him up to this?”

“Hey,” Gladio snapped back, holding a hand out, “I had _nothing_ to do with this.”

“I knew he had a crush on you,” Noctis admitted, trying to shrink himself and backing towards the door. “I didn’t know this was him. Not at first, anyway.” He weakly shrugged. “He said he had a plan. If I’d known for sure this was him, I-”

“‘If’s will not do us any good now.” Ignis crossed his arms and lowered his head. He squeezed his eyes shut and recalled how fervently Prompto had admired the bouquets, how he’d encouraged Ignis, how he’d prodded Ignis on what he might do, the hints he’d dropped about what his “secret admirer” might have wanted. Chiefly, to know if Ignis would accept him. “What matters now is what happens next.”

Noctis and Gladio each looked to one another, before turning back to Ignis. “Don’t hurt him, man,” Gladio said softly.

“He just likes you a lot,” Noctis added, and Ignis didn’t miss how his hands had folded, fingers laced in front of him. “He’s kind of an awkward nerd like that.”

“I’m aware.” Ignis traced the rim of one of the calla lilies, breathed deep the sweet perfume, thought for a moment, and decided. “But fear not. I think I already have a plan.”

* * *

The Crownsguard training arena was all chaos and noise, men and women running the obstacle courses, doing sprints, rotating through different exercises. Prompto could lose himself here, there was always so much to be aware of, so much to see and hear, a constant rush of noise to parse, but he was getting better at focusing on the task at hand and getting lost in the work instead. After all, when he was here, he was just another Crownsguard grunt in dusty fatigues and a Crownsguard tee-shirt, only distinguished by his hair and if he got dirty enough, even that wouldn’t separate him from the crowd.

Besides, he’d finally taken Gladio’s advice. He had found a single point of pain, or perhaps maybe it was more like a singular point of pressure, to focus on. After the humiliation he’d taken in Ignis’ office the day before, he really needed something to center his mind.

However, he was midway through a set of push-ups when he heard a whistle, and Cor Leonis yelling: “Argentum!” He groaned and dropped to his chest, grimacing as he picked himself up and gingerly standing, only to see Cor waving him over. Cor didn’t say a word, but instead jerked his head over his right shoulder, and Prompto noticed Ignis waiting by the doors to the changing rooms, carrying a paper-wrapped bouquet of red roses. He felt his face go hotter, and not just from sweat.

“Aw man. Time to face the music, I guess.” He glanced to Cor and smiled weakly. “I messed up yesterday, told him too much. He’s probably here to formally let me down easy.”

Cor scoffed, one eyebrow raised. “All the hours you spent prodding Amicitia about flower talk and you think those are ‘let you down easy’ flowers? Go talk to the guy, Six. Take the afternoon.”

“Appreciated, sir.” Prompto grabbed his towel and water bottle from the sidelines, quickly mopped his face and scraped his hair up into a facsimile of his usual style, then sucked in a bracing breath, focused on that point of pressure deep inside, and went to meet Ignis where he stood.

“Hey, Iggy.” He couldn’t keep a flat note from his voice, but if Ignis noticed, he made no mention. Instead, he smiled wryly.

“Good afternoon. I asked Marshal Leonis to give us a chance to speak. Do you know if there’s somewhere a bit more private than this for us to talk?”

“Um, sure.” Prompto glanced around nervously, left and right, then at the flowers. Anywhere but Ignis’ gorgeous face. Red roses. Those were for love, plain and simple. Prompto forced a little smile at Ignis. “Where would you like to go? You know the Citadel better than me.”

“Indeed I do.” Ignis’ eyes crinkled, and his arm tightened around the bouquet. “Perhaps what I should have said is: would you mind coming with me so we can have a private conversation?”

Prompto held his breath, nodded, and followed. His focus was still dominated by that one point of pressure and now, too close to what Prompto could admit to himself was the source of that pressure, he began to feel like he just might burst.

* * *

Ignis led Prompto back into his office and locked the door behind them. He had made certain to carefully arrange his shelves to display all of the bouquets Prompto had sent them, had ensured each had been watered and any wilted blooms had been weeded out. Ignis had to make clear what he had not been able to tell in words to Prompto the day before, and he’d decided that showing him would be best. Prompto had been tense and trembling for the entire walk back - though Ignis couldn’t blame him - and Ignis decided not to prevaricate for even a moment in alleviating his embarrassment. He extended the bouquet of red roses to Prompto: “For you.”

“Thank you.” Prompto smiled, wobbly and unsure, and gingerly accepted the bouquet. For usually being rough-and-tumble, Prompto was being oddly careful, like he was walking on thin ice in more than just the metaphorical sense. He tiptoed even as he stumbled back towards the door. “I, um, I guess I should apologize for, uh, the whole secret admirer thing. I didn’t take the hint that you didn’t like it, and-”

“I’m afraid I must interrupt you to correct: I _loved_ the, as you put it, ‘whole secret admirer thing.’” Ignis smiled fondly. “I honestly cannot think of a time when someone has put more time and attention into, well, pursuing my attention.” Prompto tried to hide his face behind the roses as his cheeks flushed to match them. Ignis bridged some of the distance Prompto had kept between them, sauntering a step closer. “What I wanted was some hint of who you were. I wanted to try to guess who was sending me such thoughtful gifts! After all, flowers can send messages, but they certainly can’t speak nearly as well as you.”

“I can’t, though!” Prompto bit his lip, then blurted, “Not when I get so tongue-tied around you, when I think about you! You’re all well-spoken and polite and stuff, and I’m a clumsy clod who can’t even spit out the words ‘I think you’re really hot and awesome and I wanna take you to dinner and get you ice cream and then let you ride me like a chocobo!’”

He clasped his hands over his mouth, nearly dropping the flowers before remembering himself and grabbing them before they could hit the ground. Ignis blinked a few times as he parsed Prompto’s words. Then, he put on a wolfish grin: “Is that how you feel? Truly?” Prompto weakly nodded, and Ignis put a hand over his mouth, smiling broadly. “Message received, loud and clear.”

“I was, um…” Prompto fidgeted, then finally set the flowers down in the empty chair to avoid damaging the blossoms. “Trying to be a little more, you know, graceful than that.”

“I think I prefer when you’re direct. After all, your enthusiasm is one of the things I love about you, and I like that I can always expect you to be straightforward with me.”

Prompto was blushing again, pigeontoed as Ignis slid a little closer. “I really wanted to impress you.”

Ignis finally stood toe to toe, eye to eye with Prompto, and took his fever-hot cheeks in his hands. “Certainly, darling, you did. Perhaps, if I may impress upon you my opinion of your advances?”

Prompto’s eyes were gleaming, firework-bright, and Ignis tipped his head and leaned in to kiss him. Prompto instinctively opened to him and accepted his lips and tongue, and his hands, wide and rough around the edges but with soft fingerpads and palms, wrapped around him and began to rove over his shoulders and back. Ignis moaned softly and embraced Prompto in return, sliding his hands down his waist to the supple globes of his backside. As he passed his hand under the curve, however, he felt something unusually solid through Prompto’s fatigues. He halted in surprise, and looked to Prompto, who had somehow gone even deeper crimson.

“Um,” he started breathily, “You know how, um, Gladio was telling me to meditate on something? After I got all upset yesterday, I couldn’t focus this morning, so I found something, um, physical to focus on.”

“Is…” Ignis felt heat creeping to his belly as he caught Prompto’s drift. “Is that so, my darling?”

“And… I might’ve… _kind of_ …” Ignis gave Prompto’s ass another squeeze, distinctly feeling something solid under the muscle. “Ah, Iggy!”

“Say it, love,” Ignis murmured against his lips, continuing to knead at his butt. Prompto let out an undignified squeak, and blurted:

“Kind of! Punished myself! By leaving my plug in all day!”

Ignis couldn’t withhold a soft growl at the very notion of Prompto _having_ a plug, pushing it into himself, leaving it there out of sexual frustration, and doing his entire training routine wearing it. 

A solid point to meditate on, indeed. 

“Oh, darling, that will never do,” he purred, and squeezed Prompto’s buttocks in both hands, then swept them up to the hem of his shirt. He could see how hard Prompto was even through the baggy shape of his fatigues. “Let’s get you out of these things.” He gently coaxed Prompto’s shirt up the plane of his belly, past muscle and old stretch marks to round, firm pectoral muscles, tossed his tee aside and lightly raked his fingernails back down his chest to his hips. Prompto shivered all over, as Ignis slipped a hand back to his backside, then cupped his cock through his pants. “You must be so uncomfortable.”

Prompto let out a soft keen as Ignis kneaded his cockhead through his clothes, and gave a few hurried nods. “Iggy - _please…_ ” He squirmed. “It’s… it’s a lot…”

“Oh, yes,” Ignis murmured hotly into Prompto’s ear. “Knowing you’ve got an arse full of silicon when you were trying not to think about me is a bit much for me as well.” He eased Prompto back, then traced his fingers down his chest to the bulge of his own erection in his slacks. “I want you to undress me, love.”

Prompto inhaled sharply, and he dropped to his knees and frantically began to slide Ignis’ belt from its loops. “Anything you want, Iggy,” he babbled as he worked the button loose on Ignis’ slacks, and Ignis toed out of his slacks. “You dunno… how much…” Prompto scrambled back to his feet, actively wincing as he stood, and Ignis caressed his cheek as he fumbled Ignis’ shirt buttons loose. “I wanted you, wanted you so long, wanted you to smile at me, be sweet for me, let me treat you as nice as you treat me-” He swallowed as his fingers fumbled on the top button, soft fingers brushing at his throat. “I love seeing you smiling and laughing and happy, I wanna see how gorgeous you are when you come, want you to let me suck your dick-” 

Ignis’ erection jumped in his boxers, and he groaned softly as Prompto threw his shirt open and exposed his chest to the cool filtered air of his office. He slid his own boxers off and stepped out of them and into Prompto’s chest, silencing his fervent declarations with a deep kiss. 

When he broke the kiss, it was to whisper, “Let me see your plug, darling.”

Prompto was out of his fatigue pants in hardly a blink, and his breath hitched as he turned around. Ignis tugged his hand and gently maneuvered him to stand against the desk, then pushed the broad plane of his shoulders to bend him over against the desk. Prompto put his hands on the desk. The plug winked out between Prompto’s cheeks, the base bright purple and hugged tight in his rim. Ignis gripped at his shaft for a moment, pumping himself at the sight of Prompto, stretched, ready, and already full to the brim thinking about him.

“Oh, my love, precious love,” he whispered, then gripped the base of the plug. “Next time you wish to fill yourself so, you need only whisper my name.” He tugged and rocked the plug against Prompto’s rim, and Prompto released an obscene moan that made Ignis’ sac pull taut. He had to suck in a breath to regain his composure, then he laid a light slap on Prompto’s asscheek. “You said you wanted to suck my dick, darling?”

Prompto moaned softly, then whispered, “You actually said the words ‘suck my dick,’ I’m gonna die.”

“You’ll die happy.” Ignis kissed the back of his head. “I’ll fuck you with the plug if you kneel on the desk and suck me off.”

Prompto assumed the position quickly, rearranging himself on his knees and knocking off some papers Ignis didn’t care about anyway, and he leaned down and took Ignis’ cockhead into his mouth. Ignis’ eyes involuntarily fluttered shut at the first tentative flick of Prompto’s tongue, but he slid his palm down Prompto’s spine, gripped the plug again, and plunged it deep. 

Prompto’s moan reverberated in Ignis’ cock, radiating down his shaft, and he clumsily mouthed his way into taking Ignis deeper into his mouth. His rhythm was sloppy, but he tucked Ignis’ cockhead deep into his cheek and sucked, then licked lines up his shaft before taking his cock back in again. It was filthy, wet and clumsy, but his enthusiasm made heat shoot up Ignis’ spine like every wet suckle and lick was stoking a flame low in his belly, heat building and rising. He matched Prompto’s enthusiasm, pulling the plug out to just where the silicon flared out, then plunging it back in, filling Prompto to the base. Prompto moaned and sucked deeper and deeper, until he finally let Ignis’ dick fall from his lips and cried out:

“Please, take it out.” He squirmed backward, pushing his ass into Ignis’ palm. “Take the plug out and fuck me, I wanna come on you.”

Ignis released the plug, but cupped Prompto’s cheek and traced his jawline with his finger tips to make Prompto look up at him. “I thought you’d never ask.” He gently eased Prompto to kneel up. “On your back? Let me see your face.” 

Prompto frantically nodded, and flipped flat on his back. Something else fell off of Ignis’ desk - probably that report Noctis was ignoring - but Ignis ignored it. Instead, he admired Prompto, head to toe: hispale chest and belly, flecked with freckles; rosebud nipples peaked; his cock, turgid, flushed and twitching, leaking against a soft trail of golden hair. Ignis inhaled, then swiped some of his pre and smeared it on his dick. “I’m going to need a little more than that.” 

Prompto weakly pointed at his pants. “Back left pocket. In case I needed more on the plug.”

Ignis swept low and found a tube of lubricant in Prompto’s fatigue pocket. It was plain, a reliable brand, water-based, lightly scented of roses. Ignis smiled at the propriety of it, then poured a little onto his fingers. He rubbed most of it onto his cock, then pulled the plug from Prompto’s hole. The plug had a flared base, but it wasn’t nearly as long as Ignis’ erection. Prompto was wet and loose from the plug, but not so loose that Ignis didn’t want to make certain Prompto could take him. The muscle twitched, but didn’t resist when Ignis pushed in to the knuckle with one finger, then pulled out and pushed in two. Prompto hummed, a dreamy look overtaking his face, and Ignis thrust his fingers in a few times, then pulled out, wiped his fingers on an angry memorandum from a council member, and gripped Prompto’s hips.

“Ready, darling?”

“Yeah.” Prompto grabbed his wrists, and Ignis lined up and pushed his cock in.

Prompto’s body accepted him so easily, sunshine warm, opening up like a morning glory. Ignis groaned as he sheathed himself deep in Prompto’s passage, and Prompto’s hole took him in. He bent down and kissed Prompto deep, and Prompto kissed back, pressing his tongue against Ignis’ and exploring his mouth. Ignis let himself sink into the sensation of the kiss, as he waited for Prompto’s muscles to relax a little, but Prompto released the kiss and whispered: “Whenever you’re ready.”

Ignis nodded, gripped Prompto’s shoulder with one hand, then grabbed Prompto’s dick with the other. Prompto smothered a keen, but he hooked his heels on Ignis’ shoulder to lift his hips, and nodded encouragingly. Ignis began slowly, rocking his hips against Prompto, just barely pulling out before thrusting back in. He stroked Prompto in time, and saw his toes curl with each stroke out of the corner of his eye. Prompto began to whisper something, “please” and “yes,” as Ignis began to take him a little deeper, harder, faster. Prompto threw his head back, joyful tears gathering in the corner of his eyes, and he grasped at Ignis’ wrist.

“Gonna come-”

“I implore you.”

Ignis stroked him hard and thrust deep, and Prompto came with a cry, spilling onto his belly. Ignis felt his channel clench around him, and he pushed deep in and ground against him, and felt all of his tightly coiled nerves unravel and he spent into Prompto’s hot core. 

His mind fuzzed out for a moment, and he lost himself in the scent of flowers from his shelves, as Prompto slowly lowered his legs from his shoulders with an angelic little sigh.

“You’re better than I ever thought you’d be,” he whispered, and Ignis winked an eye open to see Prompto, debauched and happy, glowing like the sun. Ignis chuckled and wrapped his arms around Prompto’s back, lifting him up to carry him without dislodging, and Prompto squeaked but threw his legs around Ignis’ waist.

“And we’ve only just begun.” He carried Prompto around the desk and seated the both of them in his big leather chair, stroking down Prompto’s back. “Now, do tell me what else you had in mind. Did I hear you say you wanted to take me on dates and woo me?”

“Maybe not those words, but I totally do.” Prompto grinned and leaned his head against Ignis’ shoulder. “I just want to see you smile.”

“I see. And I want the same for you, my darling.” He settled Prompto deeper into his lap, fully seating him again even as he began to go soft. Thankfully, the leather would wipe clean easily. “Perhaps next time, if I don’t get one of your messages, will you simply ask me?”

Prompto chuckled. “Well, if this is what asking gets me, expect _lots_ of questions.”

Ignis nuzzled his neck, smiling contentedly, then ventured: “Will you still send me flowers every once in a while?”

Prompto chuckled, the joyful noise echoing pleasantly in Ignis’ chest. “Well, sure. Just, maybe not every day, okay? I’m gonna be eating Cup Noodles for a month after all those from before.”

“Not on my watch,” Ignis tutted, then kissed his cheek. “But every once in a while?”

“And maybe even more than that.” Prompto sighed contently and curled into Ignis’ chest and carded his fingers up into his hair. 

For once, Ignis didn’t have to wonder just what this new development meant.

* * *

It was all part of the routine now. Prompto couldn’t leave training fast enough, but he thought he’d actually improved on his sprint speed running from the field to the locker room after training ended for the day. He reached his locker first and began to yank his boots off to hit the showers before everyone else so he could get done first and get out faster.

He loved being Ignis’ new beau, as all the Citadel servants whispered at the water cooler (when they thought he couldn’t hear), and he would do anything to get to him a little faster!

He heard rolling laughter behind him as he went to yank his pants off, as Gladio came in, closely followed by the rest of the recruits. “Damn, blondie, off like a shot!” The other recruits fanned out to their lockers, and Prompto stuck his tongue out at him.

“The sooner I get out, the sooner I can go see Iggy! He’s taking me to see the Royal Botanical Greenhouses, he’s gonna let me take pictures of everything, and I don’t wanna miss the Golden Hour!” 

Gladio laughed again, but sat down and began to unlace his boots. “You two and flowers, huh? Just remember who tipped you off on all of the flower meanings, yeah?” He winked and gave Prompto’s shoulder a push. “You remember that real hard when you’re picking your best man at the wedding.”

Prompto laughed. “Aw man, don’t say that, you’ll jinx it! I’m good enough at messing stuff up on my own! We’ve only been dating a week!” He quickly toweled his hair, then turned to open his locker.

Yellow tulips tumbled out, bright blooms covering the floor. Prompto gasped, and Gladio whistled and picked up one of the flowers. 

“Sunshine in your smile.” He held it out to Prompto. “Yeah, I don’t think you have much to worry about.”

“Yeah.” Prompto grinned and took up an armful of the blossoms, enjoying the sweet scent. “Me and Iggy are working on the whole ‘communication’ thing, but at least we have a head start.”

Ignis, in his office across the Citadel, admired the pink roses on his desk that were delivered that morning. There was a handwritten note tucked into the stems: _“Love you, see you this afternoon!”_ He smiled to himself, breathed deep the sweet scent to let it fill and warm his heart, and waited for Prompto to join him. He wanted nothing more than to see just a little more of him every day.

**Author's Note:**

> Flower meanings sourced from:  
> http://www.allflorists.co.uk/advice_flowerMeanings.asp  
> http://thelanguageofflowers.com/
> 
> First bouquet:  
> White violets - “let’s take a chance”  
> Purple lilacs - first love  
> White tulips - "I am worthy of you”
> 
> Second bouquet:  
> White tulips again  
> Red tulips - A declaration of love  
> Yellow irises - Passion  
> Rhododendron - “I am dangerous”
> 
> Third bouquet:  
> Jonquil - Desire  
> Pink camellia - “Longing for you”  
> Green roses - A secret symbol of homosexuality by followers of Oscar Wilde  
> Vine - intoxicating
> 
> Fourth bouquet:  
> Cattleya orchids - mature love  
> Dog roses - pleasure and pain  
> Coral (or salmon) roses - desire
> 
> Fifth bouquet:  
> Calla lilies - Magnificent beauty… but they’re actually just here because they look like a hole.  
> Naked man orchids - No specific meaning, but orchids are generally considered symbols of love and beauty. 
> 
> Red roses - love
> 
> Yellow tulips - "sunshine in your smile"
> 
> Pink roses - Perfect happiness


End file.
